Los Angeles Fire Department

January 28, 2014 | By Ari Bloomekatz, This post has been updated. See the note below for details.

A fire that broke out at a Mid-City home early Tuesday left one person dead and two others suffering from possible smoke inhalation. The fire at the one-story home at 2305 South Orange Drive was reported at 5:36 a.m., said Katherine Main of the Los Angeles Fire Department. It was not immediately clear what sparked the blaze, but according to an alert from the LAFD, the fire was in one room. It took 55 firefighters about 14 minutes to knock it down, Main said. [Updated, 7 a.m. PST Jan. 28: The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that an adult male victim of the Mid-City home fire, who was earlier reported to be in grave condition, has died.

Three children and two adults were hit by a car outside of a Highland Park elementary school Friday morning, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The incident occurred at about 8:12 a.m. at Yorkdale Elementary School, near the corner of Avenue 57 and Meridian Street, officials said. Video from KTLA showed firefighters loading victims onto stretchers before whisking them away to area hospitals. The conditions of the victims were not immediately available, although they appeared to be conscious and talking.

The Los Angeles city Fire Commission on Tuesday named a lawyer from the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti as the Fire Department's new internal watchdog. The independent assessor position was created by voters in 2009 to audit the handling of misconduct complaints against LAFD employees. It was prompted by a wave of discrimination and harassment allegations that cost taxpayers nearly $20 million in legal payouts over several years. In a unanimous vote after emerging from a closed-door session, the commission appointed Sue Stengel.

A pedestrian in her 60s was hospitalized Tuesday after being struck by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's vehicle in downtown Los Angeles, according to the mayor's office. Garcetti was in the car, speaking on the phone, when the accident occurred, according to a written statement released by his office. He did not see what happened, the statement said. "I'm very concerned about her and wish her a speedy recovery,” Garcetti said. "I look forward to speaking with her soon. " The police vehicle in which Garcetti was riding was heading east on Second Street near Spring Street, on the way to City Hall.

Los Angeles firefighters were responding Tuesday afternoon to a brush fire that had scorched about two acres and was burning near structures in Pacific Palisades. No evacuations had been ordered for the blaze, and the threat to structures was "minimal," the Los Angeles Fire Department said. An LAFD spokesman said wind was not a factor. Crews on the ground were being aided by at least one water-dropping helicopter. The blaze was burning in the hillside near the 14000 block of Pacific Coast Highway.

A 60-year-old woman was hospitalized Tuesday after being struck by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's vehicle in downtown Los Angeles, authorities said. Garcetti, a passenger, was talking on the phone with a reporter from the Economist when the accident occurred and did not see what happened, according to the mayor's office. The black sport utility vehicle, driven by a police officer, hit the woman just outside the Los Angeles Times building at 2nd and Spring streets. The accident was captured by a Times security camera.

A passenger aboard a Metro Red Line train was rushed to a hospital Monday morning in grave condition after he was stabbed in an altercation with another rider, officials said. The incident occurred about 9:18 a.m. and the train stopped at the Vermont/Santa Monica Station, where they were met by emergency crews, said Metro spokesman Marc Littman. The station was closed for about two hours and reopened after 11 a.m. It was unclear if police have any leads on the assailant. Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Katherine Main said the victim, who was not immediately identified, was listed in grave condition.

A family of four -- including two children -- in Sylmar were "fighting for their lives" Monday following an early-morning fire that broke out in their home. The fire was reported at 4:37 a.m. in the 13700 block of Eldridge Avenue in what was described as a two-story "metal-clad, barn-like home," said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, they found a mother huddled with her son and daughter and the father in a nearby hallway. All four were "pulse-less and non-breathing," Humphrey said, adding that the father had suffered some burn injuries as well.

A family of four died Monday when a fire ripped through the converted barn where they had been living. Firefighters were called to the scene in the 13700 block of Eldridge Avenue in Sylmar about 4:30 a.m. They kicked down the door of the two-story structure and pulled out the four family members, said Capt. Jaime E. Moore of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The father was found a few feet from the front door, his wife and two young children huddled together nearby. All four were unresponsive, and were pronounced dead after being taken to hospitals.

Three people were injured Tuesday night in a car accident in Boyle Heights that left one victim in grave condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The other victims suffered critical and minor injuries in the accident in the 2700 block of East Washington Boulevard, an LAPD spokesman said. Firefighters had to rescue at least one person trapped in the vehicle. The accident was reported shortly before 9:30 p.m. Los Angeles Police Department investigators were dispatched to the scene. No other details were immediately available.